Manila —The United States government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing an additional Php51.1 million ($1 million) in humanitarian assistance to help communities affected by Typhoon Odette, bringing total U.S. support for this response to more than Php1.08 billion ($21.2 million).

With this new assistance, USAID will strengthen its partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to provide additional logistics support to communities hit by Typhoon Odette.

“As friends, partners, and allies, we will continue to support the Philippines in its post-typhoon recovery,” said U.S. Embassy in the Philippines Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Heather Variava. “This additional assistance will help deliver food and other essential items to communities devastated by the typhoon.”

In coordination with the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), USAID and WFP will deploy an additional 300 trucks to transport food and other supplies to typhoon-affected areas. This partnership will also support OCD in delivering relief supplies to remote municipalities and barangays.

Sarah Charles, Assistant to the Administrator of USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance, announced this additional support at a virtual UN briefing on February 2.

This new funding builds on the U.S. government’s assistance of Php1 billion ($20.2 million) announced in December to provide food; water, sanitation, and hygiene programs; shelter assistance; and logistics support to typhoon-affected communities. As of January 28, USAID and WFP have already provided more than 300 trucks to transport approximately 350,000 household food rations, as well as hygiene kits, kitchen sets, and shelter kits to communities devastated by Typhoon Odette.

USAID works year-round to help communities in the Philippines prepare for and respond to natural disasters. Through existing programs, in response to Typhoon Odette, USAID’s partners have transported relief supplies, helped manage evacuation shelters, deployed mobile operations vehicles to support emergency telecommunications, and provided heavy-duty plastic sheeting to meet the shelter needs of 4,800 families.

The United States will continue to partner with the Philippines to respond to natural disasters and support Filipinos in their recovery efforts. Since 2010, USAID has provided more than Php17.5 billion ($342 million) in disaster relief and recovery aid, and boosted the disaster risk reduction capacity of over 100 cities and municipalities in the Philippines.

CEBU CITY – The Philippine Navy’s landing platform dock BRP Tarlac has completed its fifth relief operation in the Visayas, helping thousands of victims of Typhoon Odette that battered parts of the Visayas and Mindanao in December last year.

In a statement on Thursday, the Naval Forces Central (Navforcen) said BRP Tarlac (LD601), skippered by Commander Emerson Oxales, successfully transported and delivered approximately 370 tons of relief cargoes for the relief sortie operation on Chinese New Year.

“LD601 arrived and docked at Pier 4, Cebu City last January 30, 2022 wherein she carried consolidated relief goods and essential items from different government agencies, Philippine Navy units, and stakeholders intended for typhoon-affected communities in Cebu, Bohol and Negros Oriental,” Navforcen’s public affairs officer, Lt. Junior Grade Frances Maye Macapinig said.

Macapinig said organic personnel of the Navforcen, along with its operational and tactical control units, participated in the unloading and hauling of relief goods from the landing craft.

Navforcen has operational and tactical control units in the three regions in the Visayas — Naval Installation Facility –Central (NIF-C), Marine Amphibious Ready Unit, 9th Marine Battalion (MARU, 9th MBn), Civil Military Operations Unit – Central (CMOU-C), Naval Special Operations Unit – 5 (NAVSOU-5), Naval Information and Communication Technology Station – Cebu (NICTS-C), Naval Reserve Center Eastern Visayas (NRCEV), and Naval Supply Depot Cebu (NSDC).

The assorted relief goods and cargoes will be sorted out before distribution to the beneficiaries. (PNA)

MANILA – Pope Francis has donated around 100,000 euros (around PHP5 million) as initial financial assistance for the victims of Typhoon Odette.
Church-run Radio Veritas reported on Wednesday that the Holy Father, through the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and in collaboration with the Apostolic Nunciature in the Philippines, allocated the financial aid for the rehabilitation of damaged homes and churches in provinces severely damaged by the disaster.
The gesture is an expression of the Pope’s solidarity with typhoon victims.
“It is intended to be an immediate expression of the Holy Father’s sentiment of spiritual closeness and paternal encouragement towards the people and territories affected,” the Vatican said in a statement.
During his Angelus last December 19, the Pope immediately extended prayers for the victims of the disaster caused by the typhoon.
At present, the social arms of the church, including Caritas Philippines and Caritas Manila, are conducting relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction in the ten dioceses that were severely damaged.
Caritas Manila has distributed up to PHP20 million in cash assistance to the affected areas.
These are the Dioceses of Surigao, Tagbilaran, and Talibon in Bohol, Maasin, Cebu, Kabankalan and Dumaguete in Negros provinces, Taytay and Puerto Princesa in Palawan and the Archdiocese of Cagayan De Oro.
On the other hand, Caritas Philippines, headed by national director Kidapawan Bishop Jose Colin Bagaforo, continues to visit affected areas to personally extend financial assistance and determine the extent of the damage from the recent calamity. (PNA)